2021 Directory

www.bfpa.co.uk 45 Imports and Manufacturing. “We make most of our products at our facilities in Preston and Birmingham, but also import some products from overseas suppliers; mainly from the US, Germany, Italy and Sweden,” Ford points out. “We are also a key supplier to the Ministry of Defence through Hyphose, our subsidiary in Portsmouth. The Group is fully MoD- approved and during the initial lockdown in March we were permitted to remain open because we are a key supplier to the MoD and many other critical industries, including the Healthcare sector.” Indeed, during the first lockdown R&G Group made a considerable number of products in its Birmingham machine shop for use in the manufacture of ventilators. Moreover, within its pneumatics business the Group supplied and installed pipework at the Nightingale Hospital near the NEC in Birmingham. “This was one of the first Nightingale Hospitals to be completed and we are very proud of the fact that we were able to contribute to the cause during the pandemic,” says Ford. “We sent members of staff to the hospital free of charge, and, if we had been asked, we would have done more. I think that’s a notable thing about the mentality of us as a nation. Despite the challenges we currently face, we remain very strong collectively overall and help each other out when the going gets rough.” Membership advantage R&G Group recently became a member of the BFPDA. Ford explains the rationale behind the decision to join the Association. “Some companies within the Group have been active members of the BFPDA for some time, but the idea behind joining as a Group was to provide even greater consistency throughout our individual companies. There are many benefits to be had in membership. For example, the BFPDA provides us with a voice on steering committees for different products throughout the UK, Europe and the world. The Association is very good at encouraging best practice in our industry, and, in this regard, we are currently signing up some of our key personnel for the Association’s range of hose and fitting- related training courses.” Solid development roadmap In conclusion, Ford reflects that the Group has grown even beyond expectation over the past three years. “We have expanded from an £11 million turnover company to a £50 million-plus company today, despite 2020 with all its challenges,” he reflects. “We were planning to achieve over £50 million within five years but in the event achieved it within three. And if things continue as they have been, we will probably reach the £90 million turnover landmark within the next couple of years. I feel we’re on a roll now. Previously we had to seek out relevant companies to acquire; now we have established companies wanting to get involved with us because they know it would work out well for all concerned. We also have a succession plan and are currently training and preparing six bright and enthusiastic individuals – all currently in their early 30s – to a very high level of understanding within our industry for them to be able to take over the running of the Group over the next decade or so. Some of these people already sit on our board of directors. In fact, one is my son James, who currently runs our manufacturing division. He holds an Engineering Degree from Huddersfield University, which has stood him in good stead to become a future leader within the Group. One thing’s for sure; we have no intention of selling the business and are all committed to seeing it grow and grow. We all love working in this industry and see a very bright future for it, including a solid development roadmap for our own Group.”